To Bury the Dead
by Jupiter's Promise
Summary: Faramir discovers a book and an ancient love that Legolas meant to keep hidden. slash Elrond/Legolas, maybe Faramir.


"You must forgive my lord his absence. He has gone to visit Gimli Elf- friend at Aglarond." Maglor explained hurriedly, striding gracefully down the winding stone corridor towards the library.  
  
"It is no concern of yours. I am glad that I needn't bother Lord Legolas over so trivial a matter." Faramir answered hurriedly, though indeed he had hoped the visit might serve as an excuse to speak with the Elven lord. Times were busier than ever, and Ithilien's length and breadth alone seemed enough to divide them for undue spans of time.  
  
When they finally arrived at the library, the scholar spoke again. "Is there some particular subject you are interested in?" he asked briskly, pausing at the doorway. "Of course. I am looking for histories. Elven histories, that is." Maglor raised a brow at the man before him, "Any particular realm or age you're looking for, Lord Faramir?"  
  
The man cringed to seem so unprepared before the impeccable elf. "Not as such." He thought for a moment, "I have heard enough tales of war. Have you any accounts of the uneasy peace between the fall and rise of the dark lord?" he asked.  
  
Maglor nodded immediately, "Aye, no doubt we will have something. Though might I suggest you speak to my lord in that regard? I am certain as soon as he returns he would be delighted to share with you his vast knowledge of this matter. After all, much of the Lord Legolas' life was spent in the shadows that fall between peace and war-"  
  
"If you like, I will prepare rooms for you and your company, and you may await his return here." Faramir nodded, but held up a hand in refusal, "I do not wish to abuse your lord's generosity any more than I already have, and my men are eager to return home."  
  
"As you wish my lord," replied the elf impassively. "You will find the best resources come from Imladris, from the hand of Lord Elrond himself. Unfortunately these volumes have yet to be transcribed and only the originals exist. It is my lord himself who keeps these things."  
  
These were his final words, and Maglor quickly led Faramir out of the library again and through the vast network of corridors, which accessed every part of the Elven Lord's halls.  
  
Soon they came to an antechamber from which several doors branched off. Had they continued straight, they would have come to Legolas' private chambers, but instead Maglor turned to a door on the left.  
  
He turned to Faramir before opening the door, "This is way to Lord Legolas' private library. Here are stored many of the oldest and most important scrolls containing nearly all the history of middle earth."  
  
"Many were salvaged from the abandoned halls of Imladris and the Lothlorien. They are as old as the elves residing herein and older. It goes without saying that you should take care in this sanctuary of time." He warned before opening the door and stepping in.  
  
The smell hit Faramir before he could notice anything else. It was like nothing he had ever sensed before. The scent of the archaic parchment mixed with pine and cedar, and still other scents he could not hope to identify.  
  
Faramir waited until Maglor lit a lantern, and light flushed out the darkness. He stepped inside and looked about him in wonder.  
  
It was surprisingly vast, stretching to at least the same size as the main library, and he saw on the bits of protruding parchment that were visible in the folds of the volumes countless scripts crawled across the pages, though many were Elvish.  
  
"Even now, our scholars rush to make copies for the main library and for Lord Elessar's own." Maglor explained. He picked up a candle and lit it with the lamp before starting off between two closely set bookcases.  
  
"You will find many of the authors of these tomes familiar. Works by Mithrandir and his like. There are even a few here by Gimli Elf-friend, though many of his now reside in the main library." Faramir looked to Maglor for an explanation, and the Elf shrugged.  
  
"Much like the Dwarf lord himself, Gimli's accounts show little sign of age. Most of what is kept here in this place is here because it would disintegrate for the use those resources in the main library get."  
  
Maglor led him past alternating bookcases and shelves holding whole volumes and miniscule scraps of parchment alike. On the back wall he came to a shelf of volumes, all with blue leather bindings, obviously a set.  
  
"These should serve you." And here Maglor pointed to a specific area of the spine, "This will tell you the year. Can you find what you need alone my lord?" Faramir examined the books and found that each had a clear and chronological date written in the same place on the spine. He was about to send Maglor away when another elf came to the door.  
  
"I beg your pardon for the disruption Master Maglor, but Lord Faramir's men wish to know if they should prepare for a lengthy stay." She asked politely, addressing Maglor, but looking to Faramir for response. The man sighed and quickly glanced back at the books.  
  
"Maglor, I am loath to ask you, but I could I perhaps borrow some of these chronicles?" Maglor frowned. "You must forgive me Lord Faramir, but that is not for me to say."  
  
Faramir tuned to elf in the doorway, "Tell my men I will join them shortly, and I don't expect to find them out of their saddles." The messenger bowed deeply, "As you say my lord." And she was gone. Again he turned to Maglor, and leveled a gaze upon the elf.  
  
Ultimately, Maglor knew he had no authority to deny the man what he wanted, but he hesitated. When Faramir did not lift his gaze, the elf finally surrendered, and went to retrieve a saddlebag.  
  
While he was gone, Faramir examined the tomes before him. They stretched over 1 to 3 thousand years each, and he chose two smaller volumes, TA 1000- TA 2000, and TA 2000-TA 3021.  
  
He gingerly removed them from their resting places and stacked them atop each other. Suddenly something caught his eye. At the end of the set, one book past the ones he had removed was another book. It was forest green, and stood out among the histories.  
  
The dates on the binding were strange. While the rest of the set had been chronologically arranged, this one sat at the end looking out of place, and began in the year TA 977*. Faramir also noted that it was marked by no ending date.  
  
He thought back through all his history lessons, but he could remember no important events which had occurred in that particular year, at least nothing worth starting having an individual book about. Curiosity aroused, he removed gently pulled it from the embrace of its brothers and the shelf.  
  
The cover was the first thing he noted about the book, for there in gold print was Elven script he recognized as Legolas' name. His curiosity was piqued, and Faramir opened the book carefully. It was of course all written in the lettering of the Eldar, and he turned to the title page.  
  
Here he again recognized 'greenleaf' but could make out none of the other flowing words. //What is this?// he wondered as he came upon a page in the beginning, before the title page, which stood out among all the rest.  
  
The hand was the same, but it seemed less formally written and ink was a slightly different shade. It looked to Faramir to be a note written from author to recipient.  
  
"Melethron-nin" Faramir slowly read aloud the name of whomever the note was addressed to. 'My history must be more severely lacking than I thought' Faramir mused as he tried in vein to remember any famous elves by that name.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted when a saddlebag went flying into the back of his head. He pulled it off and smiled at Maglor, who stood at the doorway, looking rather cross. Faramir hurriedly pushed the two books into the bag, adding the green one as an afterthought.  
  
"Thanks be to Maglor, wise among Elves." He said, amused by the scholar's sudden departure from his normally detached personality. " Please treat these books with more respect than you do your elders." Maglor added dryly. "Of course," Faramir retorted, "I treat everything with more respect than my elders. Please extend my gratitude to your lord, and inform him that I shall have his books back to him in the timeliest of manners."  
  
"As you say, my lord." The Elf had slipped back into formalities, and with a deep bow, led the Lord of Ithilien out to his waiting men.  
  
Well, what do people think? Good, bad, ugly? I know no Legolas in this chapter but.well, patience friends. Please leave a review, thanks for reading! -J.P. 


End file.
